Chapter 21. Hardware and software upgrades 29921.2.2 Upgrading to Data ONTAP 8.1Before you upgrade to DOT 8.1 7-mode, inspect your system, including installed hardwareand software. Upgrade all software to the most current release.Only migrations from 7.3.x to DOT 8.1 7-mode provide the possibility for a non-disruptiveupgrade (NDU). This upgrade path is the only path that can be reverted without data loss. Allother migration paths require a clean installation because the systems are installed fromscratch and existing data is erased. Therefore, all data must be backed up.To organize your upgrade process, complete the following high-level steps:1. Review your current system hardware and licenses.2. Review all necessary documentation.3. Generate an AutoSupport email.4. Obtain the Data ONTAP upgrade image.5. Install the software and download the new version to the CompactFlash card.6. Reboot the system.7. Verify the installation.Before the storage controller NDU is performed, complete the following steps:1. Validate the high-availability controller configuration.2. Remove all failed disks to allow giveback operations to succeed.3. Upgrade the disk and shelf firmware.4. Verify that system loads are within the acceptable range. The load should be less than50% on each system.Table 21-1 shows supported NDU upgrade paths.Table 21-1 Supported high-availability configuration upgrade pathsEvaluate free space for LUNsBefore you upgrade a storage system in a SAN environment, you must ensure that everyvolume that contains LUNs has at least 1 MB of free space. This space is needed toaccommodate changes in the on-disk data structures that are used by the new version ofData ONTAP.System requirementsDOT8 requires you to use 64-bit hardware. Older 32-bit hardware is not supported. At thetime of this writing, the following systems and hardware are supported: N series: N7900, N7700, N6070, N6060, N6040, N5600, N5300, N3040 Performance acceleration cards (PAM)Source Release Upgrade Revert NDU7.2.x 7-mode Yes Yes No7.3.x 7-mode Yes Yes Yes
